Most of us have witnessed a flock of birds, or a school of fish, moving in what seems to be absolute unison -- right to left, or left to right, or up or down -- as though guided by some mysterious remote control, which allows them to move as though with a single mind. How do they do this?
Scientists have determined that this capacity for a group to move as one has to do with brainwave entrainment. All the members of the flock or school are entrained to the leader's brainwaves; so when the leader sends the electromagnetic brain-wave signal to "turn left" the other members of the community respond, almost instantaneously. A similar phenomenon is responsible for the functioning of remote control devices of any sort, e.g. for our television or stereo system.
Tong Ren Therapy -- one of the more interesting of the Taoist-based healing modalities -- is based in large part upon this same principle.
Tong Ren, which was developed by acupuncturist and qigong-healer Tom Tam, combines TCM acupuncture theory with Jung's notion of the collective unconscious. A group of practitioners uses plastic acupuncture models to treat people at a distance -- by tapping (with a small hammer) on acupuncture points on the doll.
If this sounds a bit like voodoo, well ... it kind of is (but mostly isn't). An interesting part of the history of this healing modality is that, originally, practitioners used acupuncture needles on the dolls, but apparently there are laws in certain states prohibiting the placement of needles into dolls with the intention thereby to affect another person -- for good or for evil. So the little hammer, along with other tools, was developed, for Tong Ren practitioners to use instead.
Here Tom Tam describes Tong Ren theory in a bit more detail:
In Tong Ren Therapy we use a regular plastic acupuncture model to form the healing image. The acupuncture model becomes an energetic representation of the patient's body. By placing the needles in the appropriate spots on the model and connecting the mind with our collective unconscious, the practitioner can give a patient a treatment. A connection between the therapist and the patient is formed. This connection can be modified by the energetic representation of the acupuncture model. Just as light shining through a slide will display an image, the Chi directed to the patient is modified by the image of the acupuncture model with needles inserted at specific points.
The pattern of needles and the points selected are the same as the acupuncturist would use if inserting the needles into the patient's body. Both inserting needles in the model and in the patient's body are means to balance the patient's Chi. The difference, of course, is that when the model is used the patient can be treated over long distance. This is similar to some Japanese acupuncture methods in which the needle is just touched to the skin but not inserted. Because Chi and the collective unconscious are not limited by space; the only thing is to establish a connection. The healing power is not from the acupuncture model--it is from our mind, and this mind transforms into a healing force.
The power of the Tong Ren technique is drawn from three sources: (1) the practitioner's knowledge of TCM acupuncture point energetics; (2) the focused intention/concentration of the practitioners; and (3) the collective energetic field created by the group of practitioners, along with all those who've ever practiced the technique.
By studying the healing function of the acupuncture points, the healing function of the acupuncture points will be stored in the healer's mind as memory. When practicing Tong Ren, the Tong Ren therapist's mind already carries the signal of the location and the function of the points for healing. During a Tong Ren session, the practitioner's brainwave which carries the healing signal will entrain the patient's mind. In this brainwave entrainment, the same happens as in the case of a television remote control functioning.
One thing I find particularly fascinating about the theory underlying this technique is its acknowledgment that at the same time as we're practicing an existing technique, we're simultaneously collectively creating and strengthening the technique (via "hundredth monkey" mechanisms.)
In the future when more people repeatedly use this same method, it will become more powerful. In this way our collective unconscious intent and experience continuously increases the strength of Tong Ren Therapy.
The origin of all physical manifestation, and hence physical healing, is the mind:
... all manifestations come from the mind, and within this understanding, we can acknowledge that the body itself can be healed if we create the imprint for the healing to happen in the subconscious mind ... according to this belief, the body is the mind at a lower vibration frequency. The body is a creation or projection of the mind.
At the highest level of practice, the acupuncture dolls -- as tools for focusing the mind -- are no longer necessary:
Tong Ren dolls do not have any energy or power. The healing power comes from the mind. The Tong Ren doll is simply a trigger for the healer's mind. In time, when the healer's level progresses to a point that it becomes second nature, the Tong Ren healer will not need any tools - just the mind. But this level is not for the beginner.
Do we have any Tong Ren practitioners in the house? Have any of you ever received a Tong Ren treatment?